Tag Archives: William and Mary

The stand’s carcase is now finished – but for the front-to-back oriented top boards which will be nailed into the provided rebate (arrowed, fig. 1) once the drawer is completed and the drawer stops have been rubbed in place. Fig. … Continue reading →

The cabinetmaker’s insertion of the featherbanding in this chest would be considered – even by most of his contemporaries – as ‘wrong’. One can’t deny the proficiency of the man as a cabinetmaker constructing a basic chest, but it can’t … Continue reading →

I am never without something to occupy myself, but spring is a particularly active time of the year: Horses, foals (currently five, with another three due imminently), tree planting, tree watering, keeping the greens in order and a myriad of … Continue reading →

In A William and Mary Simulated Tortoiseshell Chest of Drawers, I mentioned how faux tortoiseshell-painted furniture was popular as a background for japanned decoration (either newly-painted or using previously tortoiseshell-painted canvasses). I recently came across this chest-on-stand which typifies late … Continue reading →

… chest of five chests of drawers that I’m making for the up-coming book. The second chest of drawers is a five-drawer Queen Anne chest from around 1705. The pine carcase is veneered with (locally grown) English walnut and the … Continue reading →

No, not a cryptic crossword clue, but news of the completion of the first of five chests of drawers I’m making for my up-coming book. The first chest of drawers is typical of small four-drawer William and Mary chests made … Continue reading →

Although this blog’s focus is mainly on late seventeenth-century and eighteenth-century English and Irish furniture, I do have a number of North American readers, who, on occasion, struggle to keep up. In their defence, attempting to decipher North American dates, … Continue reading →

I will preface this post by admitting I am no photographer: Capturing the true colour and depth of the finish on this chest of drawers (it looks deep enough to swim in) has proven to be beyond my capabilities. Applying … Continue reading →

Upon examining early japanned furniture, it becomes apparent why so much testudinally painted furniture was surrendered to japanners and other artists accomplished in chinoiserie. The least convincing simulated tortoiseshell finishes are bedaubed with a repetitive pattern more reminiscent of leopard … Continue reading →

I had previously rubbed the drawer bottom boards together; then a couple of days ago, in relative respite from the high winds and searing heat that are presently wreaking havoc across the eastern seaboard of Australia, I cut the dovetails … Continue reading →